“Many New Orleans musicians blend jazz and brass band music with bounce, hip-hop, funk, soul, R&B and more. Shamarr Allen has a name for his blend: True Orleans.”

– Will Coviello,
Gambit Weekly

“The song (The Greatest Place in the World) is an upbeat celebration all things New Orleans, including music, Mardi Gras Indian culture, boiled crawfish, New Orleans Saints fans and just hanging out and greeting neighbors on street corners. Most of the album bursts with local pride, but Allen’s tell-it-like-it-is candor ranges from humorous laments about parking tickets to addressing New Orleans’ racial tensions, as on “Colorblind.”

– Will Coviello,
Gambit Weekly

“On the album, “Weekend Dance” evokes a Big Easy version of Twenty-One Pilots. Horns and hip-hop intermingle on “Keep Up” and elsewhere, traditional and modern New Orleans music are mixed together.”

– Keith Spera,
New Orleans Advocate

“The first song, “The Greatest Place in the World (feat. Big Freedia)” mentions many things that make New Orleans great such as jazz, bounce and crawfish. The track is infused with trumpet solos and fun lyrics such as, “The city where grandma is gettin’ down in the kitchen / City where musicians can actually make a livin.’” This song sets a tone for the rest of the album that is unequivocally New Orleans.”

– Bryce Berman,
Offbeat

“Shamarr Allen has proven his musical chops by performing non-stop in many of New Orleans most prestigious clubs.”

– Emily Hingle,
Where Y’At Magazine

“… Allen’s brass-and trap-influenced Hit the Sean Payton with DJ DNA is a sharp, straight-forward earworm and a teaser for his 2018 album True Orleans.”

– Alex Woodward,
Gambit

Weekly

Shamarr has been referenced as: “Multithreat New Orleans instrumentalist and vocalist”